Florida Senate Bill 22 seeks to improve the infrastructure surrounding the pet death care process by enabling Floridians to bring legal action against funeral businesses and pet crematoriums that disobey these new laws.
Dealing with the death of a family pet is a significant component of being a pet owner. According to Lap of Love client data, 80% of families prefer to have their pets cremated.
The bill, known as “Sevilla’s Law,” was proposed by Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, when a family’s cat died and the funeral was mishandled.
Although this is the recommended route that pet owners choose when their animals die, there were still gaps that left pet owners in tragic situations.
In the case of the cat, the family made the request to be present at the time of the cremation process, but the company failed to contact them, resulting in the family missing out on that final moment to say goodbye.
This bill would ensure that the provider of these services will follow through with the client requests, avoiding the mistake that Servilla’s family had to endure.
Before “Servilla’s Law,” there were no consequences for businesses that failed to communicate and provide any information regarding the services they provided.
Now the provider must include a certification with the returned cremation remains, ensuring that the client has received the actual remains of their pet, unlike Servilla’s family. The certification must meet a certain criterion that this bill introduces.
Some consider this industry progress because it tries to ease pet owners’ concerns during such a difficult time, as well as prevent blunders that can be prevented.
Kenneth Spiller, veterinarian at South Monroe Animal Hospital in Tallahassee, says this bill is a step in the right direction.
“I feel the bill will be useful to most pet owners. I understand mistakes happen and will continue to happen,” Spiller said. “I believe the bill will help regulate that in a tremendous way, giving pet owners proper final goodbyes in the same way we do with people.”
Businesses that offer pet cremation services may be subject to civil penalties for their illegal behavior. Regulation enforcement and authorization will now be in the hands of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. This is known as a private right of action, which permits anyone who has been harmed to file a civil lawsuit to obtain compensatory or punitive damages, as well as court costs and legal fees.
Spiller had more to say concerning companies and their relationships with pet owners in regard to this bill.
“I anticipate these companies will have a lot more now to earn the trust of many family pet owners. I also think there will be many different services, and there will be a lot of extended time spent getting your pet cremated,” Spiller said.
Olivia Ingram, a Tallahassee native and dog owner, couldn’t imagine something like this occurring to her and her family. But she expressed relief that a change was being made.
“I’m glad there are laws to support me, I don’t want to think about losing my dog and having to cremate him in the event that everything goes completely wrong,” she said.
If passed, this law will go into effect July 1, 2024.